Discover
The Pillar stories do raise questions — but not about journalistic ethics…
By Phil Lawler ( bio – articles – email ) | Jul 28, 2021 Journalistic ethics: That’s not a topic often discussed by Catholic media outlets, and for two good reasons. First, most Catholic media outlets are heavily subsidized, and therefore reliant on the goodwill of their sponsors. A diocesan newspaper, for instance, is reporting on the institution that pays its bills. There’s a conflict of interest there—albeit one so obvious that it doesn’t really require disclosure. Second—and related—most Catholic media outlets steer well clear of controversy. When the editors limit themselves to “safe” stories, they are rarely tempted to violate journalistic standards. During the past twenty years or so, however, some new, independent Catholic news organizations have appeared on the scene. ...
How to measure success in a parish…
When I was in college, I took several semesters of archery. I loved shooting arrows at targets, but what ultimately won me over was the nature of archery; you immediately know how you are doing, based on where you hit the target. Still, there was one time that I hit the bulls eye and yet I scored a zero, because I was aiming at the wrong target! In some ways ministry can be like archery, we need to not only aim for the bullseye – but we also need to hit the right target! Too many Catholic parishes and dioceses are aiming for the wrong thing and miss the target. Then when questions arise about why the results they expected aren’t happening, they are puzzled. To further illustrate this problem, we need to understand that what we value is measured and what we me...
The Pope’s motu proprio places a new burden on bishops — particularly on Cardinal Gregory…
COMMENTARY: Many will weigh how the Pope’s man in Washington handles the divisions related to the ‘Traditionis Custodes’ and the extraordinary form while pro-abortion Catholic politicians readily receive Holy Communion in the same archdiocese. Being a bishop is not easy. Being the Pope’s man in Washington, D.C., is more difficult still. And the recent liturgical changes have added to the challenges. Just ask Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who in June took the lead in attempting to delay the U.S. bishops’ discussion of a document on the Holy Eucharist, especially in regard to the extreme pro-abortion policies of some Catholic politicians. But if one such, the president of Argentina, receives Holy Communion at the Vatican, some would expect the Pope’s man in Washington has to see to it that Presid...
MUST READ: When a priest is unchaste, his priestly work becomes barren. Our silence isn’t doing these men any favors anymore. The solution is simple…..
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, there is a poignant scene when the Bennet family discovers that Lydia Bennet has run off with the dastardly Mr. Wickham. Sisters Elizabeth and Jane Bennet console each other, as they both know well that Lydia’s imprudence will sour their own chances of favorable marriages. “Oh, Jane, had we been less secret, had we told what we knew of him, this could not have happened!” “Perhaps it would have been better,” replied her sister. “But to expose the former faults of any person without knowing what their present feelings were, seemed unjustifiable. We acted with the best intentions.” What the two sisters knew and hadn’t shared widely was that Mr. Wickham had secretly created an attachment with a young rich heiress. His plot to marry her wo...
With Rome’s blessing, Switzerland’s Bishop Charles Morerod appoints lay people to be his regional “vicars”…
A small ecclesial revolution is currently taking place in the Catholic Diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg (LGF) in Switzerland. But it likely would not have come about so soon without COVID-19 as a detonator. “The pandemic has precipitated a situation that I expected to see in 20 or 30 years: empty churches, to which many of the faithful do not return, and a Catholicism that often no longer ‘tells’ people anything,” explains Bishop Charles Morerod, leader of this mostly Francophone diocese of just over 700,000 members. “I don’t want my successor to be able to reproach me because I was content to just fill in the gaps even though I saw what was happening. That would not be responsible,” says Morerod, a 59-year-old Dominican theologian who was ...
Two Weeks After Pope Francis’s Latin Mass Restrictions, U.S. Bishops Continue to Respond…
Some dioceses have communicated internally with their priests on Traditiones Custodes, but have not yet issued public statements. Two weeks after Pope Francis issued his motu proprio restricting the use of traditional liturgies, bishops throughout the United States have continued to address the impact the letter will have on their respective dioceses. Many bishops, such as Bishop Michael Fisher of Buffalo, have chosen to grant their priests temporary permission to continue celebrating the traditional Latin Mass while they themselves take time to study the document, Traditiones Custodes. “At this time, I grant temporary permission for those priests competent in celebrating the Eucharist according to the 1962 Missal to continue to do so at the times and places that, as of July 16, 2021, have...
What do you say when kids ask about dinosaurs?
Suppose you catechize your children properly and teach them all about Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden and original sin. Suppose you sit on the sofa one Sunday evening, read the Bible with them and explain how God created all of the plants and animals. On Monday morning, they return to their science classes and learn about fossils and dinosaurs, which have sparked an interest and led them to browse the Internet for more information. It’s not like dinosaurs are taboo or anything. Kids love dinosaurs! Eventually, they ask the obvious question. “So, Mom, I have been wondering: Did the dinosaurs live before or after Adam and Eve?” You open your mouth to answer and catch yourself mid-breath, as you consider the path of reasoning. Well, that little question is mighty loaded, isn’t it? You tread ...
Be Catholic to save the world by grace! Some words of encouragement from the early Church…
There are some who would have the Church step back to avoid persecution or giving offense. Perhaps there are assets like buildings and land to protect. And maybe some rapprochement with the world will attract more members. Or so the thinking goes. But a study of earlier periods of persecution reveals a different plan for the way forward: confidence, courage, boldness, and love—even for our enemies. Let’s look at some texts. St. John Chrysostom knew all about exile and persecution. At a difficult time for him and his flock, he preached from the following text of St. Paul’s: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I...
Our responsibility is to preserve the memory of the Church…
The late Cardinal Francis George once commented that we need to be precise in our education. What he meant by precision is both the transmission and articulation of the Catholic faith in a clear cogent manner so that it does not deviate from the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus established the Church to preserve the integrity and identity of the Trinity and transmit the revelation of God the Father through the Son that if preserved and followed leads to man’s eternal relationship with God in Heaven. Hence, the need for clear educational precision of the Catholic faith. St. John Paul II years before Cardinal George’s statement on education echoed the same sentiment: There is also a pedagogy of faith, and the good that it can do for catechesis cannot be overstated. In fact, it is natural tha...
St. Mary of Bethany — she has chosen the better part…
“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” —Luke 10:42 Keeping the various Marys of the Bible straight can be a challenge. For centuries, St. Mary of Bethany was considered by many to be the same as Mary Magdalene. Deeper study and consideration have prompted most now to consider them to be two separate women. Mary of Bethany was the sister of Martha and Lazarus of the town of Bethany, just a few miles away from Jerusalem. At some point, Jesus had developed a special friendship with these three siblings and had gone to their house for a visit. During the visit, Mary became engrossed in all Jesus had to say. She sat at his feet, listening attentively, apparently oblivious to her sister, Martha, who scurried about with serving duties...
Disgraced Ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Criminally Charged with Sexual Assault of a Minor…
In court documents, the man alleging the abuse claimed that McCarrick, being a family friend, began abusing him when he was a boy, the Associated Press reported. BOSTON — Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has reportedly been charged with sexual assault of a teenage boy, a crime alleged to have occurred in the 1970s. McCarrick was dismissed from the clerical state by Pope Francis in 2019, after the Vatican conducted an expedited canonical investigation and found McCarrick guilty of “solicitation in the Sacrament of Confession, and sins against the Sixth Commandment with minors and with adults, with the aggravating factor of the abuse of power.” The Associated Press reported on Thursday that, according to court documents obtained by the Boston Globe, McCarrick was charged with three c...
Traditionis Custodes: Catholic liturgical tradition comes in many forms, united in one mystery of Christ…
Some of my earliest and happiest memories are those of my mother taking me to weekday liturgies at the tiny Byzantine Catholic parish of Saint John Chrysostom in Columbus, Ohio. Though the entire family attended liturgy together on Sundays, it was on weekdays that my mom was able to quietly teach me what was going on — what was taking place at each part of the liturgy. If you see pictures of the parish church today, you will see an architectural marvel — albeit a small one — with golden domes, a curved blue roof, and stained-glass windows encircling the upper structure. Inside, you will see peach-colored walls adorned with icons of the saints, a blue-and-white ceiling with golden stars, a massive icon of Mary on the wall in front of the altar, the doors of a majestic golden iconostasis and...
